Contributed by: maverickScott(others by this writer | submit your own)Published on June 25th 2002Bad CDs are really easy to write reviews for.
Good CDs are usually pretty simple to write a review for, also.
Great CDs? They take a bit more work. Usually a thesaurus is busted out, and I actually check for grammar errors.
Really great CDs? Those are hard to write about.
This is a re.

Bad CDs are really easy to write reviews for.

Good CDs are usually pretty simple to write a review for, also.

Great CDs? They take a bit more work. Usually a thesaurus is busted out, and I actually check for grammar errors.

Really great CDs? Those are hard to write about.

This is a really great CD.

I really don't know what to tell you. Jamie Woolford wants to be a rock star, and this album should, in all fairness, put him there. The songs are the best he's ever written. The lyrics are the most introspective and intelligent he's ever done. Sure, a lot of the tracks are about girls [shit, he's in a pop-rock band - what else would he write about?], but tracks like "Vice Versa Inquisition" and "Have I Paid My Debt To Mpls?" are lightyears beyond anything prior in the Stereo's catalog. The riffs are thicker, too, like in "1994" - definitely air-guitar worthy.

A fellow Minneapolis band's influence shows up in the intro to "Just Let Go" - I could've sworn it was a Husker Du song when it started. Of course, once the song progresses into the sugary sweet verse, you know it could only be the Stereo.

The 2 songs on this album that have previously been available as demos through the Stereo's webpage; "Pay No Attention" and "Turn Off Your T.V."; both have received pretty incredible reworkings and both sound fantastic. The guitar solos in both tracks make for a wonderful listening experience.

"Too Little, Too Late" and "Vice Versa Inquisition / No Name #2" are both performed completely by Jamie. His programming skills have gotten much better, and the laid back groove of "No Name #2" says that he might have a trip hop record hidden in the back of him somewhere. "Too Little, Too Late" benefits from a constantly switching shuffled drum beat, keeping the song well-paced enough for Jamie to croon to his long lost love.

I really could talk forever about this album, but I don't think I could actually *say* much more. This is the best no frills pop-rock album of the year thus far. Hell, this is the best no frills pop-rock band the United States has to offer right now. It's destined to be a classic.

Jamie is a nice guy in person. And you, my friend, are an ass for talking shit about people you have never met.

The Stereo rocks, plain and simple. Jamie Woolford is a musical mastermind.

-Captain Crunch

Anonymous (December 25, 2002)

never really liked jamie's vocals. sounds really annoying. also i heard hes a real asshole in person. hes the reason why rory left the stereo. jamie wanted rory to stick to back up vocals. good thing rory left, we got the impossibles reunion and all. other than that, jamies an asshole and the stereo sucks.

Anonymous (November 3, 2002)

to the last guy who commented....rory from the impossibles isn't in the band anymore, you fucktard. and jamie has grown so much from animal chin. i think if he were moving in any direction, it would be to a more musical album ala fugazi or cave in, and not regressing back to animal chin. don't get me wrong...i love animal chin, but the stereo is a new conception, and it rocks in a different way. it rocks....so hard. it rocks.

One would think with two of the best rock & roll bands combining (practically) that something amazing would come out....but that hasnt been the case so far. The Stereo sounds nothing like the Impossibles, and Animal Chin is much better (something about Jaimie's voice that I like alot more when he was with the Chin, plus musically their better), but maybe this album may change some of that, we'll see...

Anonymous (June 29, 2002)

THAT was a good review. kudos, scott.

Anonymous (June 28, 2002)

the closest stereo album to any of the animal chin stuff is the first one, three-hundred. its also the best in my opinion.

Anonymous (June 28, 2002)

Ok, I don't own a Stereo album, I've heard a couple songs, and I saw them live once. I'm still undecided on them. Can someone let me know if there's anything about the Stereo that will bring me back to the days of Animal Chin (besides Jamie), because that's what I hope the Stereo can be. I am (was) a HUGE animal chin fan and wish they would come back somehow. I know bands grow/move on, but i can still wish, can't I?

i got it at virgin megastore here on long island, 12.99 which isn't bad at all. get it if u can find it. kev

Anonymous (June 27, 2002)

to everyone that cant find the cd they have it fueled by ramen's website for ten bucks. i paid that instead of 18 bucks or whatever it is at sam goody plus youre lame local chain store doesnt have to order it in for you.

Anonymous (June 27, 2002)

still i say yall are a bunch of fucks. I can't find the cd anywhere. Stupid redneck asses in my town.

The Stereo (Jamie) rules the fuckin school- He pushes the envelope harder than Maverick, Goose, and Iceman put together. My cd player got pissed at me when I tried to take out the Stereo cd after playing it 1000 times in a row. I was all like, "But CD Player......I mean Mr. Player, Wouldn't you like to listen to Poison the Well or Old Skull or New Found Glory?" And he was all like, "Naw holmes, that shit sucks- Let's listen to that Stereo guy again." And I was all like, "Word"
So we chilled hard to the new Stereo cd- Just kickin it real style- Then this totally fine chick came walkin down the street and was all like, "Is that the new Stereo?" And I was all like, "Fug yeah it is!!" And she was all like, "Wanna finger bang?" I was all like, "Hells yeah!!!" So we listened to the Stereo and quietly did the "grown up" all nite- Thanks Jamie- I owe you one

its really funny that you mention ben folds because i've thought for a while that would be a killer show, the stereo opening for ben folds. ben folds is one hell of a musician. he's really funny too.
as far as andrew wk's "astronomical comedic value", thats a really great synapsis of him. i watch that video for she is beautiful and just laugh. i just hope he's in on the joke. he knows how to play music though, i saw some thing on mtv and he was busting out barbara streisand on piano. now that's a party.

Anonymous (June 26, 2002)

I have to agree with the review. I saw The Stereo at the Fireside Bowl at the end of May, and they rocked the place. It made the 4 1/2 hour drive back to Detroit (home) more than worthwhile. I even missed the Wings-Avs game 7 to see that show.

Every song by the Stereo is great. They don't half-ass anything. When listening to their music, it is evident that they know what they're doing. Rewind and Record is no different. I've had this CD for about 3 weeks now, I got it from a British website (101cd.com) so its had some time to sink in. It gets better and better the more you listen to it. My favorite song is 1994, but there isn't one song that is less than stellar. If you don't like the album at first, you probably will if you give it another listen. Albums like this don't come around too often.

I've had the opportunity to meet the band on a few occasions an they are all quality guys. Hopefully Jamie and the others will get the attention they deserve for this effort. If he got on a major label I think he'd at least get a Ben Folds-like cult following, probably even better. Jamie could run circles around the generic and lazy shithead bands that dominate pop-culture these days. I'm looking forward to the show in Detroit with LTJ August 6th.

Andrew WK grew up about 30 mins from Detroit, outside of Ann Arbor. His CD is great for its astronomical comedic value.

Anonymous (June 26, 2002)

i gotta write more cause this cd is that good. ever just put a cd in for the first time and just be floored as to how good it is? very few bands have ever done that to me. this is one of them, and this is one of those cd's. (off the top of my head, cave in, metallica, jimmy eat world, afi, glassjaw, and the dillinger escape plan and most of the bands that have done this).
rewind and record goes every direction you want it to. the music is great and jamie's vocals are stellar. please inform me as to who sings better. it's bands like this i wish would move off a small indie and get big so they could rock the bejesus out of all the nonense on the radio and show these pusses how rock should be.
this is yet another stereo cd that will find a perminant place in my collection and in my head...more catchy than a disease. rock out with the stereo or just don't rock. this cd makes the last 2 weezer cd's look like they were written by 3rd graders and blows most any other rock band clear off the map. you've been warned.

Anonymous (June 26, 2002)

You guys are a bunch of lucky fucks. I can't find the cd anywhere in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Fuckers.

The only thing I wanna comment on is the bass playing comments. I personally do not like playing with a pick because I just feel like i can fly a lot faster without one. There really is no standard way to playing guitar or bass or anything... it's however one feels comfortable, in my opinion.

Oh yeah.. the Stereo rocks and all, but they aren't one of my fave bands or anything so I dont know if i'm gonna spend money for this cd or not..

To FatTony:
The opening track kind of holds it down. It's a little 30 second song "dedicated to the fans." It's cheesy and boring, and it's something that belongs on the new Backstreet Boys CD, not this.

Haven't heard the album yet, but I'm definitely going to check it out. As a side note, how can an album be "a really great CD" and "destined to be a classic" and NOT get a 10/10? What's keeping it from that perfect score? I didn't see anything negative about it in the review, so I'm curious.

i also was at the venue where you was last night although at the other side (queens of the stone age played with dave grohl, fuck yeah).

imo the stereo are like a thousand times better than ltj. did you even see al those stupid 13 year old kids at the ltj show? i doesn't surprise me one bit that they (and you for that matter) don't understand the stereo. god i hate fucking holland. the only "punk" bands who draw a crowd are new found glory and less than jake. nobody even knows alkaline trio. all thanks to guys like fakesmile.

i know i'm talking nonsense right now so i'll quit.

Anonymous (June 25, 2002)

OK, there's two things I don't understand in the world:

1 - How airplanes fly.
2 - Why The Stereo isn't huge.

I just bought this CD after work and it's one of the few bands I really love every song he/they do. In a just world, The Stereo would own rock and schmucks like Pubble of Mudd would be gas station attendants. Who knows, maybe The Stereo could use a switch in labels to really get the attention they honestly deserve.

Oh, and about playing bass with fingers as opposed to a pick... playing with your fingers is the proper way to play it..Cliff Burton didn't use no pick, Les Claypool doesn't use a pick...just 'cause a lot of rock/hardcore/punk bassist use a pick, doesn't make them good or right. Dan from Alkaline Trio is good and uses a pick so don't say I'm slagging on all that use a pick. Mike Dirnt uses a pick too, and he's good. Matt Freeman uses a pick and he's really good. But, saying someone isn't good for using their fingers to play bass is an incredibly
uneducated statement to make.

Andrew WK is like the local band that really sucks but since you know them, your judgement is impaired, and you think their pretty good, when everyone outside of des plaines illinois really knows their just a shitty local band. Its like that but its everyones local band.

The whole band is comprised of the old guys who hang out with the high school kids in your town, and you didnt invite them and your not sure why their there, or why they still live there. They all look different but are all friends because of the common bond of age they share.

Theres the guitarist in the hawaiin (badly spelled im sure) shirt, the old guy who buys alchohol and lets people drink it as long as they dont ask him directly for liquor, cause hes a fun loving guy whose just hanging out, and its not cool to just use people for beer.Hes the equivalent of the middle aged moms with tye dye shirts who get a belly button piercing at 40.

Theres the bald bassist, the guy who went to prison for something fucking stupid but acts like he killed a guy, and his girlfriend is still going into the 10th grade.

You have Andrew himself, the stoner kid who made people believe he was 'really smart' cause he knows everything about Nirvana and has a shitty grunge band despite the act hes a moron. He dicked around with a guitar living in the shadow of classic rock and whatever rolling stone found cool.

They sit around, go to your keggers, and you want them to leave, but they never do, they just drink, cheat on their girlfriends with their exgirlfriends who they have a kid with that they dont pay child support for, and they go mudding in their trucks except the hawaiin shirt guy whose more 'sensitive' and burns incense all day mellowing out.

But they 'party hard'.
Its about time for the meatballs movies to get their due isn't it?
If I want boring songs about partying, I'll listen to FEAR, or that one beastie boys song that everyone played into the ground when they were fighting for their right to party over their civil rights, remember, fuck the poor, party hard.

Go buy Andrew W.K.'s CD.. Its $9.99 at most record stores and its great.

peace,
-SOYBOMB-

Anonymous (June 25, 2002)

i just don't see how people like coheed and cambria, and will turn around and knock nfg and good charlotte. fuck they are a cheesy wannabe rush band w/ get up kids shit goin on. they think if they sing like girls and write 5 minute songs they will be considered arty and intelligent, but are really just a crappy emo band w/ a singer 20 times more annoying than jordans from nfg's.

Anonymous (June 25, 2002)

this album is really good. and to the guy on the bottom, coheed and cambria are barely worthy of decent. If you like hearing mandy more singing rock and roll, they are your band. Does their singer have his nuts in a vice. come on. He is a big fat hairy guy that sings like mandy moore but not even close to as good looking. But their music is decent. I just can't get by that voice.

I've never even heard this band, and truthfully I have no desire to ever do so, but I wanted to take a minute to respond to the bassist/picking comment. Some bassists use picks, some do not. It's not really going to change "how hard he or she rocks." The only thing that really matters is how good the bassist is. Personally, I play bass, and I don't use a pick (waits for a typical "you suck" reply), and I find it more comfortable to use my fingers as opposed to the pick. I guess it just depends on your style. Oh well, that's about it. Thanks.

i dunno about this record, but i saw the stereo last night, supporting less than jake... their bassist plays with his fingers, i dunno about you guys, but i think that's only fucking allowed when you play ska...

get i fuckin pick, ass....
picks make you rock harder... so the stereo needs picks because they didn';t rock last night... opposite to LTJ... who gave a great fucking show...

i've figured it out, you can't have an opinion! that's what punk rock means.

Anonymous (June 25, 2002)

now i don't know scott but he is gay. this album is nothing special. the same pop shit the stereo has been putting out from day one. you forgot to mention that gem on this cd about dad's forcing their kids to play football and how he was so different from people in high school. what a joke. ive read your reviews and you can try to act like you've got an edge but you don't. this is the least edgy or threatening rock and roll band to be conceived since sum 41. boring boring boring. and for all you fooks who are going to yell cuz im bitching this kid out, go climb in your mom's suvs and come find me. i am better than all of you.

Anonymous (June 25, 2002)

Whoa! whendovescry is a real jackass haha. Getting mad over a review. God get a life little boy. Not everybody has the same taste in music and everybody should have their own opinion. Dont lash out at people cuz you dont get laid buddy.

To Mr. Whendovescry -
1. I do not idolize As Friends Rust. I only own "Won" by them, and I don't even like it that much. AFR is not a favorite band of mine.

2. I've never shown C&C or Detachment Kit "love?" C&C have gotten their tourdates run on here before, and as for Detachment Kit, did you not read my review of the show they played with the Anniversary a month ago? I praised them to kingdom come and back.

Chill the fuck out and get your facts straight.

-Scott

Anonymous (June 25, 2002)

I agree that brand new sucks pretty badly, but these guys are good i think.

I've heard a couple songs off this album and it's definately good. Way better than most bands in the genre.

Completely different note, Scott, I think you're a pretty fair reviewer... if an artist was to send you a CD, would you review it? Not hinting at anything, but my band plans on putting out our first full length later this year.

When Scott gets rolling, he just doesn't stop. Best pop-rock band the US has to offer? I'd rather crank the Foo Fighters any day. The Stereo? More like re-hashed Gin Blossoms. Puh-lease.

But seriously folks, Scott is cool. He thinks Buddyhead copies him and feels the need to gush about mediocre bands (ie Brand New and The Stereo). Please give credit where credit is due. While Scott rips on the Hot Snakes and idolizes As Friends Rust, deserving bands like Coheed And Cambria and Detatchment Kit don't get the love they deserve. Or clout.

So Scott, I urge you to continue to remain in your bubble of limited intelligence and distorted image that you delegate what we listen to. No one cares what you think. It's not clever or informative. Your reviews are trite jokes as far as I'm concerned. Hope that Corner Club thing works out for you, because internet media doesn't agree with you other than to bloat your obese ego.